Some big changes are coming at Subaru – as it has revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week.

The Japanese maker’s much anticipated rear-drive sports car still isn’t quite ready for primetime, though it generated much chatter at both the Subaru and Toyota stands – the latter maker helping develop the Miata-class 2-seater.

Stay in the Know!

But what Subaru did have to reveal in the form of the new XV was arguably of even more significance as it could replace the long-lived Impreza, which is itself the foundation of products like the WRX.

And the changes will extend will below the skin, the maker confirmed, with an all-new 2.0-liter turbocharged direct injection boxer-four engine coming for the line-up.

Automakers are beginning to sketch out the details of what they have coming for the Frankfurt Motor Show next month – quite literally in the case of Subaru, which is offering us this teaser rendering of the new XV.

A concept version of the new crossover made its debut at the Shanghai Motor Show, earlier in the year. The upcoming German event will bring the introduction of the production Subaru XV, which will serve as the replacement for the maker’s current Impreza Outback Sport model – at least in Europe and China. Exactly what that means for U.S. buyers remains to be seen.

The Inside Story!

The automotive arm of Fuji Heavy Industries is holding back the details, but the production XV is likely to mimic the dimensions of the concept shown in Shanghai. It was slightly longer and about an inch taller than the current Impreza Outback Sport – though it shared the production models all-wheel-drive system.